The purpose of this study was to examine factors associated with life satisfaction in the oldest-old within a spectrum of psychosocial and health related variables. Scores on the life satisfaction index (LSI-Z) were related to scales and questions regarding, demographics, depression, locus of control, cognitive function, functional capacity (instrumental and personal activities of daily living), self-rated overall health and medically based health, and social network. The sample consisted of 315 participants, aged 80-98 years; (M = 83 years, 66% women). Regression analyses indicated that social network quality, self-rated overall health, sense of being in control of one's life, and depressive symptoms were significantly associated with life satisfaction. There was no gender difference in overall life satisfaction. However, there were different patterns of variables associated with life satisfaction in men and women. Self-rated overall health and depressive symptoms were related to life satisfaction in women, whereas widowhood was significantly associated with lower life satisfaction among men. The results emphasize the need to analyse associates of life satisfaction within a broader context of psychosocial variables and separately for men and women.

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From an aging research and life-course perspective, the transition to retirement marks a significant life-event and provides a unique opportunity to study psychological health and coping during a period of substantial change in everyday life. The aim of the present paper is to: (a) outline the rationale of the HEalth, Ageing and Retirement Transitions in Sweden (HEARTS) study, (b) describe the study sample, and (c) to present some initial results from the two first waves regarding the association between retirement status and psychological health. The HEARTS study is designed to annually study psychological health in the years before and following retirement, and to examine change and stability patterns related to the retirement event. Among a representative Swedish population-based sample of 14,990 individuals aged 60–66 years, 5,913 completed the baseline questionnaire in 2015. The majority of the participants (69%) completed a web-based survey, and the rest (31%) completed a paper version. The baseline HEARTS sample represents the general population well in terms of gender and age, but is more highly educated. Cross-sectional findings from the first wave showed that retired individuals demonstrated better psychological health compared to those who were still working. Longitudinal results from the first and second waves showed that individuals who retired between waves showed more positive changes in psychological health compared with those still working or previously retired.

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The participants' experiences of living with MCI indicate that issues and changes in life situations such as long-term stress, retirement, loss of relatives, perceived heritability of dementia, needs to be understood in the context of the individual's understanding and interpretation of their everyday cognitive functioning. Also, supportive long-term contacts with the specialist care unit were vital for creating a personal understanding of MCI. Addressing the intra-personal dynamics of cognitive functioning in the boundary between normal and pathological cognitive aging can also improve diagnostic accuracy.

The present longitudinal study investigates continuity and change in the personality dimensions of extraversion and neuroticism among the oldest-old. Overall disease load, self-rated health, functional capacity, impaired vision and hearing, self-reported cognitive impairment, and measured cognitive status were tested for their role as potentially relevant late-life predictors of personality change. The sample consists of 408 individuals aged 80-98 in the Swedish OCTO-Twin Study who completed the Eysenck Personality Inventory at four measurement occasions during a 6-year period. Growth curve analyses revealed an age-related linear decrease in extraversion and stability in neuroticism. More extraverted individuals were more educated and perceived their health and cognition as better. Notably, only hearing impairment was found to be related to a steeper age-related decline in extraversion. A life span developmental model focusing on health-related changes can improve our understanding of personality change in late life.

Objectives Using the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide as a guiding framework, we investigated older adults' causal attributions for suicidal behavior. We hypothesized that older adults who attributed their suicidal behavior to thwarted belongingness or perceived burdensomeness would be more likely to use more immediately lethal means and to re-attempt suicide during the 12-month follow-up. Design Prospective cohort study in western Sweden. Participants A total of 101 older adults who presented to medical emergency rooms for suicide attempts. Measurements Participants were asked why they attempted suicide. Results Attributions included: a desire to escape (n=29), reduced functioning and autonomy (n=24), psychological problems, including depression (n=24), somatic problems and physical pain (n=16), perceived burdensomeness (n=13), social problems that reflected either thwarted belongingness or family conflict (n=13) and lack of meaning in life (n=8); 41 participants provided more than one reason. No specific reason was given by 28 participants, 15 of whom reported not understanding or remembering why they attempted suicide and 13 reported simply wanting to die (or go to sleep and not wake up). As hypothesized, patients who attributed the attempt to thwarted belongingness were more likely to use more immediately lethal means for their index attempt and were more likely to re-attempt during follow-up. This was not the case for those reporting burdensomeness. Conclusions People who attribute suicide attempts to thwarted belongingness use more lethal methods and have a poorer prognosis. Replications across diverse cultural settings are needed to determine whether attributing suicide attempts to thwarted belongingness may warrant increased monitoring.

This study investigates life satisfaction in relation to impending death among the oldest-old using overall disease load, self-rated health, and personality as interacting covariates of level and change. We used data from a sample of 370 healthy individuals who completed the Life Satisfaction Index-Z at four measurement occasions during a 6-year period in the Swedish OCTO-Twin study of individuals aged 80 and older. Growth curve analyses showed a linear decrease in life satisfaction as individuals approached death. The decrease was not related to level or change in self-rated health and disease load. High disease load was, however, related to lower levels of life satisfaction, but, this association was moderated by locus of control, such that those with high disease load and high locus of control did not show lower life satisfaction. Poor self-rated health was also associated with lower life satisfaction, but, this association was moderated by neuroticism, such that those with poorrated health and low neuroticism did not show lower live satisfaction. Personality factors such as locus of control and neuroticism can influence the association between health and life satisfaction. The findings suggest further investigations of the role of personality characteristics in late life satisfaction and whether interventions aimed to increase personal control can improve life satisfaction in old age.The notion of lifelong stability of life satisfaction produced by a set-point equilibrium mechanism has been questioned in recent longitudinal studies of life satisfaction in the oldest-old. In a previous study we found a linear and largely homogenous decrease in life satisfaction across four measurement occasions during a 6-year period in individuals aged 80-98 (Berg et al.